


Regarding Rumours

by SacredMorningStar



Series: Commissions [3]
Category: Assassin Creed: Syndicate (2015), Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Assassins, Capture, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Torture, caring father, warnings for violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 12:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13341555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SacredMorningStar/pseuds/SacredMorningStar
Summary: When Crawford's daughter finds out about her fathers life she joins the secret society of the Templars to help him out. Her skills grew beyond what they expected but what happens when she finds a local shop that could be a hiding place for those who looked to attack her father.





	1. Family Bond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mifrifi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mifrifi/gifts).



> This story is a commission from fatummeum on Tumblr. If you would be interested in a commission please feel free to message me as commissions are always open!

The cobbled streets were noisy and active as always. The sound of clicking hooves against the stone, the constant shouting and talking of people selling and discussing what to buy, wheels rattling as they bumped and rolled along the street. There was a constant hustle and bustle running along the streets, down the alleys, in the gutters where strays and rats fought over scraps of food, but the constant noise had become something Meredith Starrick loved to hear. She was the daughter of Crawford Starrick, owner of Starrick Industries, rich aristocrat within the heart of London, notorious for his intimidation and short fuse but to her he was sweet, caring, patient and only wanted to see her happy. For twenty-three years she had just been his daughter, being prepared to take over his company one day, kept in the dark about his true role as the Grand Master, but that had recently changed when she had been out with some of the guards on her own shopping spree.

She had been excited to go out and buy both her and her father some new books as his birthday had been getting close. She had wanted to go without him, so she could surprise him with the gift, but she had to have guard with her like always. She always felt frustrated when the guards had to follow her as she couldn’t trust they would keep it a secret but this time she would be happy for the guards to be at her sides. She had just gotten out of the carriage with the guards close by when there was the sound of a shot and the horse on the carriage panicked. She watched as a man, with his face hidden by a hood, jumped from one of the buildings above and tried to attack the two men beside her. She was quick to grab a disarmed blade to defend herself with and it seemed watching the guards train had given her some tips. She had managed to defend herself from the stranger long enough for the guards to grab the man and get him arrested for the assault. The strange man in a hooded cloak with the strange symbol had dropped a picture of her during the fight, something sketched by hand with intricate detail, and seeing the stranger with a picture of herself had her freaked out.

She had confronted her father, carrying the image with her to show him, and had pushed and pushed and pushed until he had finally broken down seeing the concern in her eyes. She was worried not just for herself but for her father too and he could see that in the way she spoke, she acted and she looked at him. He had revealed what his Grand Master role had meant, revealed that he had become part of an old organisation built to create the perfect world and protect the world they were creating, but also revealed the danger of the Order of Assassins which had set their mission to prevent the great future the Templars could build. He had heard from the men about her fighting, about how she had defended herself, about how she had seemed to have skills none of them expected. Hearing what he was part of, the fight that was ahead of him, the danger that he was in almost constantly, only made her more determined to help protect him. She had decided to work with him, to train and fight alongside him within the organisation she had now been told about. He knew of her stubbornness, the one thing he wished she hadn’t inherited from him, and the determined look in her eye made him sure she would never back down about it. He agreed to let her help, to let her be part of their arsenal, only if she agreed to training with the guards to make sure she knew fully how to fight.

Crystal blue eyes filled with curious fascination roamed over the busy streets as she admired the beautiful shop windows. Her deep purple dress floated perfectly just off the ground while matching ribbons decorated the collar and waist of the frilled white bodice. Long, puffy sleeves kept her decency and respect and small heeled shoes with stocking kept her warm and protected from the messy pavement. She had a new outlook on the world around her with her training, keeping a lookout for anyone who could be a risk to her and her father in the reflections of the windows she browsed. Even though she had only been part of the templars for a few months she had been to a real asset, seemingly picking up skills with guns, swords, throwing knives and daggers faster than her father had thought. Although she hadn’t really gone on any missions or tasks she had been able to pick out some of those who worked with the Order of Assassins and had begun to earn a name for herself for finding truth behind rumours. She seemed to have found her place in the organisation and to say that her father was proud would have been a complete understatement.

The man walking beside her walked with a constant air of confidence and pride and matched her in the quality of his clothes. His suit was made to fit him perfectly, the knee-length jacket embroidered in fine details to match the waistcoat he wore, accents of purple along the edge of the jacket helped match the cravat he always wore and the small, silver cross lay in perfect view to show the ruby off to the world around him. He knew his dark clothes, mannerisms and accessories spoke about him and his reputation was one he was certain to keep; only letting his guard down around his daughter the last connection to his wife he had.

The winter chill blew through the streets sending a chill down her spine for a moment making her father look to her with a soft frown before he looked to the shop he had aimed to take her to. He had been planning to treat her with a shopping spree and the start of it had been buying new accessories such as broaches, hats and hair pins which had been loaded into the carriage and taken back to Westminster while they continued to shop. There was a seamstress and tailor just a few doors down from where they had bought some of the accessories who he had booked a fitting for Meredith as a reward for her help with her new role within the Templars. The seamstress was one of the most expensive in the area, highly recommended for her skills with different fabrics, and looking in through the window he could see the different skills she had. He watched as Meredith’s eyes lit up brightly at the sight of the of the window display, at the sight of the beautiful dresses displayed on manakins, and her bright blue eyes stared back in excitement to her father at the possibility of yet more dresses to add to her collection. He couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face at seeing her excitement and waved his hand to the door to encourage her inside the shop. 

He took a moment to speak with the guards outside the shop, feeling concern over someone he felt was following them, but Meredith was quick to notice his absence within the shop. Although she could have started the order on her own she wanted him in there with her as she looked through the dresses wanting his opinion on what she chose. She always had fun when she teased him with what she wanted, always asking for just a little more, wondering just what limit she had with him, but it always seemed there wasn’t a limit when it came to her. She was free to spend as much as she wanted as often as she wanted but without him around that always bored her; unless it was for a gift for him. She hadn’t been blind to his concern, in fact she had spotted the same man that appeared to be following them almost at the same time as he did, but she doubted the stranger would act with so many people around them and with the way they were constantly moving from shop to shop. The stranger always kept his distance between them, but he had been clearly watching them as they browsed the accessories and moved from shop to shop. For now, she would keep the man in the back of her mind, keeping his face fresh in her memory, while they looked through the variety of dresses within the shop. She hadn’t known her father had booked her in until he walked to the counter and called her over.

For the next few hours, every inch of her was measured before she was shown a wide variety of fabrics and dress styles the shop could offer. There was one dress she had seen in the shop window she had fallen in love with and she couldn’t help her eyes wandering over to the window display; her gaze noticed by her father. The crimson bodice, with matching sleeves, could be laced at the back and was decorated with ruffles at the collar and elegant embroidery at the wrists. The deep purple skirt was patterned with vertical, alternating yellow and lilac lines and seemed to be made with great care. An apron-like accessory was also made with the dress, showing the small embroidery found on the sleeves in larger detail of the Templar cross standing proud at the centre. The accessory covered the middle third of the skirt and secured around the waist with a long ribbon that could be tied in a beautiful bow at the back. The dress was beautiful, it seemed to dress fit Meredith perfectly as it was tied comfortably at the back and sat comfortably against her form. She couldn’t help twirling the skirt, spinning round to make it rise and flare, and smiled brightly to her father as she enjoyed the full-length dress.

“Thank you, father! Thank you so much!” She smiled excitedly as she was told she could keep the dress on if she wanted.

“You’ve been working so well for the company, you exceeded expectations, and you’ve really seemed to find your place and I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you joining. I hadn’t wanted you to be part of it, didn’t want you in danger, but now I see you’ve inherited more from me than I had first though. I’m so proud of you, Mer, so very proud.” Crawford just smiled to her and kissed her forehead softly.

“Oh father, I just did what I felt was right. I just wanted to help you, seems like I found a better use of some of my time, and now we know there’s more to me than just pretty dresses.” Meredith chuckled before she looked out the window; her gut telling her there was danger. “Well, now that you’ve thoroughly spoiled me why don’t we go home so I can enjoy the spoils.”

The light chuckle that left them both dissolved into tension as they left the store, any custom dresses to be delivered within the next few weeks, spotting a familiar and unwanted face from across the street. The carriage was waiting just outside the shop for them, having been waved over by the guards outside, and Crawford hurried his daughter inside; worried what their stalker had planned. He had wanted today to be just about them, to not be ruined by suspicion and stalking, but it seemed, even on a day where he had done nothing for the Templars, he was being hunted. The carriage pulled away and it seemed the man had given up on following them as he was out of sight when they reached Westminster.

Even though it appeared their stalker had left Crawford still felt anxious. He didn’t know what the stranger had wanted, why he had been following them, and it meant the number of guards around Westminster had to be increased. He asked his daughter to go inside ahead of him while he arranged the new guard regime and arranged to meet her in the library where they would both sit together until it was time for supper. A fire had been lit in the fireplace, two high backed, padded armchairs just in front, and Meredith settled herself down in one of the chairs with one of her favourite books. It was a story of great adventure, of brave men in a fight for their lives, of a whale so great none could kill it. She had read it several times already, but she couldn’t help re-reading it again and again; never seeming to grow tired of the dramatic plot. She tucked herself comfortably on the seat as she had waited for her father to join her in the library, but it was clear when he came in that something had been bothering him; making her worry just what was happening. He came in with a few handfuls of paperwork he had been working through and the way he sat down into the chair made it clear he was frustrated and agitated. She noticed a pair of guards outside the door, something new and unnerving as it showed her father’s concerns, and the way he was acting only made her gut twist more.

“Father, is everything alright? You’ve been on edge, now you’ve got men outside the door, is there something worrying you?” Meredith lay her hand on his wrist breaking him out of his wandering thoughts. 

“Nothing more than the usual however it seems the Assassins are starting to get more active, every so often they believe they have the upper-hand and get a little more adventurous. I’m just making sure those fools don’t get close to us.” Crawford’s tone tried to show he wasn’t affected but Meredith knew otherwise. “Don’t worry, Meredith, it’s all been sorted. I don’t want them to ruin our time together as I know soon my time is going to be forced onto other tasks.” 

She smiled to him sympathetically, still worried about him, worried about what the stalker earlier could mean, but she took a grounding breath and nodded to him. He set to work reading through the documents before him, signing certain papers and circling anything important in others. Some of the papers had the Templar cross, some had the Starrick Industries logo, all were examined extremely thoroughly but finally Meredith had enough of his work and his clear frustration. She pulled the paperwork away from him and held his attention a moment before looking through some of the documents carefully. It was a mixture of reports, for both the business and the organisation, and she quickly found one that had caught her eye concerning a Henry Green and his shop of curiosities. There were rumours there was something more behind the strange man and his peculiar little shop but there was little to go on more than rumour. 

“Why don’t I take care of this one for you, father? It’s just information gathering for now anyway so it’s not going to be the most dangerous thing I’ve done for the organisation. He might not think I’m a threat, they’re more used to seeing the guards or Lucy.” Her tone implied there was no arguing what she was suggesting. “I would take some of the pressure off you and means I get to do some more shopping.”

Before Crawford could deny her suggestion, one of the staff came to them letting them know that food was ready for them. She escorted them to the dining hall where two places were set up, one at the head of the table and one to the right, and on trollies were a roast lamb joint, a mixture of steamed vegetables with a boat of gravy. Staff plated up as much as each wanted on their plates, poured them drinks as they needed but otherwise they kept to the edge of the room where they wouldn’t bother the pair. They enjoyed their meal together, complimenting the cook once again at the perfect meal, before their meal was interrupted by one of the guards from earlier slipping into the room. He carried some papers under his arm as he walked in but seemed to freeze when he felt the sharp gaze of both Starrick family members. When he showed the cluster of papers to the pair, it seemed the information was invaluable to them, especially Meredith, when it turned out the man that had been following them was an associate of the curiosities shop she was starting to investigate.


	2. A Plot and An Investigation

At first Crawford hadn’t been too keen on his daughter researching the curiosity shop and its owner but she refused to give up the documents to him. She refused to let him help her or stop her from investigating the strange store and even spent so long researching the shop that she fell asleep in the library; piles of papers around the armchair she was sitting in. Crawford had been concerned about strange activity that had been happening around Westminster and other areas of London. Some of the Templar men had gone missing, guards on patrols around Westminster were disturbed or spotted strangers in areas they shouldn’t be more often, suspicious activity seemingly increasing around the Starrick home, and the increased guards didn’t seem to intimidate whoever were trespassing.

The increased, dangerous activity had Crawford on edge and he worried about Meredith going out with her usual number of guards. There was only one organisation who would go against them and cause the trouble and mayhem that was starting, and it made Crawford worry just what might happen to Meredith out there. She had been free to go out with just two guards before, enough to keep her safe with the minimal activity, as she hadn’t been a threat to the assassins but now she could be considered a threat. Now she could be just as much a target as the others in the order, yet she was more important than any other member. She wasn’t allowed to go out of Westminster without at least four guards with her, increasing her protection and the guards being more aware of the increased danger around them, and she had to be back before the gas lighters were walking round the street.

It seemed Meredith’s efforts in researching Henry and his shop had been very in depth. She had found everything she thought she could use to investigate her target. She had sales records, import documents, stock sheets, licensing documents, and dug through everything she could to be find anything that may lead to something interesting or useful. She marked anything strange, made note of strange codes used for stock, which she hadn’t seen before, but it seemed that all the records seemed a little too perfect. Even the best businesses can miss or lose documents, can accidentally send documents at the wrong time, but every single document seemed to be perfectly recorded. She was frustrated with the lack of information she could use but the perfect records did show that there was likely to be something more going on in the shop.

Meredith understood the danger had increased, her father’s actions showing concern, but she hated that her father wanted her to be crowded all the time. Having them so close wouldn’t help her investigate Henry Green as they would just make it obvious the Templars had found him. She didn’t need that at such an early point of the investigation, she didn’t need him knowing that she had been researching him, that they were suspicious of the small shop and were about to dig deeper. She was starting to get stressed with being either cooped up all day or followed by a group of guards and it began to feel overwhelmingly claustrophobic for her no matter what she did. Within her home, all she could see were guards around every corner and when she left she was surrounded by them. She understood why but she was frustrated with it to the point where she had begun to plan to sneak away from the guards on one of her outings; so she could visit the shop.

She told her father she wanted to go out on a shopping excursion, that she would go with the guards and be back as she planned but kept from him that she planned to visit the shop she had been investigating. She took a carriage to a nearby street, allowed guards to follow her into a crowded street before she slipped through the crowd, keeping her head low to stay hidden in the bustling street, used a shall to hide her dress, one without the Templar cross, and finally managed to break away from the guards by going through an alley while they had been looking for her. She checked behind her constantly and made a note to make sure she would come across the guards later once she had finished in the small shop; her target at the end of the alley she walked down. What she hadn’t known was that one of the guards had walked down the alley, thinking he saw her there, and had been attacked by one of the assassins that had been moving through the crowd. The assassin had noticed the guards on the carriage, had followed it believing it to be Crawford, had been surprised to see a young woman step out, but decided to follow anyway to see if they could learn anything from her.

By the time they took out the guards, each being lured into the alley after hearing the other fight, they had lost sight of her and couldn’t find where she’d gone. She stepped into the small shop, taking a moment to admire the window display just before she went in, and admired the wide variety of curiosities found within the shop. It was clear that some of the items must have travelled around the world, from the deepest jungles of South America to the savannahs of Africa, but some of them could have been fakes or imitations as their condition just seemed a little too perfect. She walked slowly round the shelves, spotting Henry Green in a reflection on a glass display, and admired the variety that was on display. Some of the objects interested her, including books on new and interesting plant life, and as she browsed she could feel his eyes watching her. The man in the shop didn’t seem to suit the name of Henry Green, a very typical English name, as his accent, skin colour and behaviour was nothing like the people she knew. She knew the name wasn’t his birthname, a Henry Green only recently being registered with the government, but she had yet to find his true name.

“Well hello there, lovely lily, is there something that might have caught your eye?” The heavy Indian accent called out from behind the counter. “My stock comes from all over, there are none like it, but this is not even all of it.”

He had slipped around the counter and was looking over his own stock on the shelves with admiration. He loved having such a variety on display, making his shop stand out in the crowded streets, and he couldn’t help showing off his goods to anyone who was willing to browse his goods. He hadn’t seen her face fully yet, her hair hiding it from his view, but as soon as she turned to look at him he realised exactly who it was that stood in the shop before him. He was surprised and a little shocked to see Meredith Crawford within his store, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed with the opportunity before him.

“Your stock looks amazing sir, I feel like the whole world is within reach just within this small corner of London.” Meredith smiled softly as she looked between the man and his stock feeling a little intimidated with how close he was getting.

“You have a great eye for world treasures. I have more out the back, the unusual stock that is too expensive to display, if you would like to see?” Henry smiled confidently as he looked to the woman before him; a hopeful look in his eye.

Both saw it as an opportunity to get the upper hand against the other. She thought it a chance to get him in a room out of the view of the public and find out what she could from him while he saw it as a chance to get the upper hand on such a powerful member of the Templars. He was on home turf, giving him the advantage, and as he brought her into the back of the shop he noticed some colleges slip into the shop. With a quick nod, the cloaked man walked through the shop, just out of sight of the woman in front, and Henry encouraged her into a room in the back of the shop. The room was filled with partially opened boxes, shelves layered with a variety of objects from a two-headed dog in a jar to strange, shrunken heads, but it was a very claustrophobic room that seemed to be filled with everything and anything.

 Meredith looked around the room, looking for something she could use or something that could lead to more, and she managed to find some sheets which she quickly tucked into the bodice; as close to her waist as possible. She knew if anyone found it she would be in serious trouble and would not be likely to get away from the shop. She hadn’t expected the back to be so crowded with stock and now she was there she could feel dread rising within her as she noticed yet another come into the back. He had allowed her to walk through the stock, enjoyed watching her like a cat does a mouse, before he noticed her eyes wander a little more nervously around the room and saw tension build in her shoulders. He could tell she was starting to get suspicious about what was going on, she seemed much more cautious and he knew now was his change to take her out. The assassin that had followed them came up behind her and quickly took hold of her; restraining her against their body from behind.

He held the woman tightly, keeping her arms pinned down and her legs too close to his body for her to be able to get any decent hit on him. She struggled against the arms around her body and couldn’t help the shout she let out as she tried to get free of her captive. The assassin’s grip was far too tight, and Henry couldn’t help the smirk on his face as he watched the girl struggle and fight. He couldn’t deny it was fun holding all the power at that moment and he waited for her to tire herself out with her fighting and struggling; he would knock her out just not yet. 

“Well, well, well, I never would have thought I’d have a Starrick right on my doorstep. You are a fool young lady, coming here without any guards or even your father. I am guessing you wanted to prove your worth to daddy, but I am afraid to say you are too far out of your depth. A woman like you should not face men like us, you should be home with a husband and his children.” His gloating tone made the woman before him glare as she was forced to look at him. “A lovely lily, such as yourself, should not waste their time on fighting and aggression and all things not lady-like.  You should not soil your beautiful clothes, or ruin that gorgeously long hair, or scar your perfect skin. Maybe now you will have learned your mistake and let’s hope that your father can come through for us.”

Within a moment she had a cloth over her mouth and was fighting once again but the sweet-smelling chemical on the fabric was held too tightly for her to pull it away. She felt her body weaken and her mind tire as she was forced to breathe in the chemical on the cloth until the world around her went black. Henry watched as she fell unconscious and nodded towards one of their empty boxes they could pack her into to make it easier to transport her to a better location. He knew he couldn’t risk having any more Templars at his shop and couldn’t let on it was thanks to his shop that she was taken; although he couldn’t be certain someone would find out. He made sure to book a delivery carriage to come collect her and sent one of the colleges with them to help.

As they day drew towards night Crawford began to worry about where his daughter was and what had happened to her. She was usually back by the time her father had recently set, if not before to build more of her research, yet she wasn’t back. She hadn’t been home since lunchtime and when he heard report of her guards had gone missing he couldn’t help shouting at the man that brought the news; throwing a nearby vase at the man which struck him on the head. They were quick to get the word out to other guards, to inform them that a search was on for the Grand Master’s daughter was on, and any unusual activity had to be reported to Westminster. Guards began to search the streets, began to look for any signs of a fight or struggle, but it seemed that those who had taken her were good at covering their tracks. 

The Templar soldiers searched desperately through every street when they finally came across one of the guards floating in the Thames, one abandoned in Green Park and another floating in the lake in Saint James’s Park. There was no sign of where Meredith or the fourth guard that had gone with her and this only made the Grand Master more anxious and nervous. He didn’t know where she could have been, had no idea who had grabbed her, but he had an idea what they were part of. He was sat in the library staring at the flames in the fireplace as his mind wandered to everything that could be happening to her; going to the worse places possible like most parents do. He couldn’t help rubbing his forehead as his mind raced and the deep frown that seemed to stay on his face intimidated an already nervous staff and when the doorman came into the room with a letter hope seemed to finally bloom within him. 

He stared at the letter before him hearing it had been hand delivered by a cloaked man and that he should read it urgently should he want to find his daughter well. He was nervous to open the note but when he did he saw elegant hand-writing and a message he didn’t like the sound of.

Dear Crawford Starrick,

I am sure by now you are aware that your daughter is missing. She is so far safe, but you need to be aware that she is not out of danger until you perform a certain task for us. We need all the information you have on any members of the Assassin’s Order and then you can have your darling daughter back. She will be very well taken care of but if you do not bring what we want to Westminster Abbey by tomorrow evening I cannot promise her safety will last.

Your Daughter’s Captor 

Folded within the letter was a small lock of his daughter’s hair as a signal that the contents of the letter were backed up and Crawford felt dread fill his heart once again.


	3. A Victim and A Fear

Meredith hadn’t known how long she had been out for and when she woke she could feel a pounding in her head. She could feel cold seeping into her body as she slowly came to, smelled the river Thames in the air, felt something around her wrists and ankles, and finally saw boxes and sheets. She realised she was being held in storage somewhere close to the river somewhere, but she couldn’t be sure where. She struggled against the bindings so vigorously that she almost tipped the chair she was bound to over making her panic a little at the lack of control. She saw two people in full body cloaks, hoods over their head, perched on some of the boxes above her to clearly watch her.

“You know, I never thought it would be so easy to get hold of someone from the Templars but you, my dear, just had to prove me wrong. To think that the Grand Master of the Templars just waltzed into my store thinking that she could take me out. I am sorry dear, but I do not think you were right for the job. No woman should risk themselves over such actions, but I must thank you for giving me a chance to get close to your father.” Henry’s tone was smug and confident as he walked circles around his captive. “Without you coming into my little corner of London I wouldn’t have this wonderful chance to get to the biggest man in the Templars. You see I know everything there is to know about everyone here, what I don’t know isn’t worth knowing, and I have been keeping an eye on you and your father and everything you have been doing.”

The smug look on the Assassin’s face caused the woman to glare at him but she knew she was outnumbered and probably out skilled. She could tell that at least one of the trio was underestimating her but she couldn’t be sure that she could take on the other two even if she did get free. She knew she had to get out of there, she had to keep an eye out for any opportunity to get away, and it seemed her chances increased as he was called away leaving the two guards in charge of her.

Meanwhile, Crawford had his men in a desperate search for his daughter feeling even more panicked after finding the bodies of the guards. He didn’t want to think that he could lose her already, not when she was all he had left of his true love, but when it seemed his men couldn’t find any trace of her he began to fear the worst. He knew that the ransom that had been sent to him could just be a trap but if it meant that he got to have her back by falling into the trap then he didn’t care. She was too important to him, meant too much to allow him to lose he so easy, and he had his men scour every street trying to find any sign. He planned to go to the meeting point in the letter taking papers he knew that Meredith had been using, although he did make a few copies of the important notes, and bundled them together to be ready for the meeting with nervous anticipation. He couldn’t be sure if she would even be at the meeting point, but he feared what might happen to her if he ignored the demands of the note. There was so much he was worried about that could happen to her, but he was trying not to let it get to him too much; his shorter temper clearly affecting the men around him.

Meredith had taken time to watch the two guards that had been watching her, seeing the way they walked on top of the towering boxes, even noticed how one of them had a slight limp on their right side that must have been from an old wound. She kept an eye on the weapons she could see them holding and ones she knew they had from records she’d read through. Although she could have been out-skilled by those around her she kept an eye on them, watched the patterns they patrolled above her, waited for the best moment to break free; having spent hours slowly working through the bindings on her wrists. She had been pulling on it, trying to get the rope cut or frayed or weaken it in some way to break it easier. She had knocked herself over, throwing herself down after Henry had left, when she saw the blade of a broken knife discarded just within reach and managed to secrete the blade in her sleeve. She had to be careful if she got caught she would be in much more danger than she already had been.

She worked slowly, using the blade to slice through part of the ropes that bound her wrists as best she could. She watched for when the two assassins guarding her were distracted or weren’t paying attention and took advantage of the opportunity. She was quick to work away at cutting the ropes and had managed to get one hand free but kept it close to her side so that those around her didn’t know she was getting herself free. Once she saw her moment, both arms and legs free, she bolted through the storage building searching for the exit before they could notice her disappearance, but it didn’t seem that luck was on her side. She felt sore, her joints achy from being ties for so long, but she had to get out of there before she could try to rest her achy body. One of the guards had managed to notice she was missing, had spotted her trying to slip out of the building and was quick to try and cut her off. She was quick to act when he got close to her and turned quickly to take his legs out from under him.

She had missed his legs, he jumped to avoid her, and she pulled out the blade she kept with her. She swiped at the assassin trying to get the upper hand against the trained fighter. He was fast, faster than she was expecting, and he managed to land a hit against her side knocking her down to the ground. She seemed to snarl as she twisted away from him as she quickly tried to recover from the hit against her. She stepped aside, avoiding the swing of a weapon coming down towards her body, and charged at him knocking him down and held her blade against his throat. She had a slice in her arm from where the blade had caught her as she took the man down only for the other assassin to come running to her and begin another attack. She managed to roll away from the attack, managed to get away but her leg got caught by the tip of the blade. She winced as the blade cut her and she threw the blade in her hand managing to get it caught on the assassin’s cloak and pinned it to one of the wooden boxes that were behind them. She ran once she was sure the pair were staying down and had managed to get through a door she found and got out onto the street; feeling a bullet hit her shoulder as she slipped out of the building. 

She just focused on being able to get out of there, focused on running away and not the injuries that were starting to bleed more heavily. The injuries to her arm and leg hadn’t been bleeding too bad but the shot to her shoulder began to get worse. She hadn’t realised how bad the shot was until she tore part of her dress to pad the wound and it almost instantly was bled through. Fear began to grip her as the bleeding only seemed to continue and she stumbled through the darkened streets as best she could, getting looks from strangers until she came across some of her father’s men. She was weak, feeling the effects that the blood loss starting to affect her, but she managed to get their attention as she collapsed down in front of them succumbing to the injuries. The men were stunned to find her collapsing against them and quickly caught her seeing the serious bleeding. They were quick to act when they realised who she was, securely bandaging to wound enough to help stem the flow, and called for a carriage to rush her back to her home. They reported finding her injured body and managed to get to a phone to call Westminster.

Crawford had been sat in his office trying to find every piece of information he had on the assassins and had been staring at the pile feeling dread build in his gut at the thought of what might happen to his only family. He couldn’t help the way his stomach turned and when he was told there was a call for him he felt rage for the disturbance and ignored the call; telling the staff member to take the message. He was ready to leave, getting close to the meeting time, and headed out to a carriage that was waiting outside to take him to the meeting point. He worried what was going to happen, not sure he could trust the people who he was always against, but he had to try to get her back; or at least know who had taken her. He kept two guns close to him, one on either side of his hips, and kept his eyes ahead with a hand on the pile of documents he had gathered. As he got closer to the abbey he could feel his worry rising, but he swallowed it down and watched as the sanctum towered above him. 

Before even leaving the carriage, he checked for signs of assassins nearby, scoured for anyone who showed signs of fear or being uncomfortable; or even cold recognition. He took a bold step and walked through the grounds and found an area that seemed just out of view of the public. He hadn’t known where the assassins had expected to meet him, but he was sure his appearance would bring them over to him. They had just told him to meet at the abbey and the longer time passed the more apprehensive he became. There was no sign of anyone with his daughter, no sign of anyone recognising him and rushing to pass messages on, no sign of anyone around that could be those who had sent the message. He waited for hours, watched as the dusk turned to night, watched as the sun set, and the moon and stars came into view. Waiting there felt like an eternal nightmare for him, constantly on edge waiting for them to come, only to find nothing came from his fears, his patience, his time. As the hours drew on with no sign of anyone coming he finally realised there was no point in waiting any longer. He feared what was going on, what had happened to his daughter, but there was little he could do without them coming here. He climbed back in his carriage, his mind racing with fear and worry about what was going on to his daughter and he made the carriage rush back to his home just wanting to shut himself away and find out where his daughter could be. He let his mind take his focus, not paying attention to where they were until the doorman opened his carriage door, but that changed when his butler demanded attention from him to pass on the news from a call they received while he was gone. 

He rushed through the building, heading straight for her room, seeing his beloved daughter unconscious on her bed. A doctor and a nurse were on either side of her, cleaning her wounds, binding them, stitching the wounds up, and had given her injections to help her through the recovery. Bruises were forming around the injuries to her body, as well as where the bindings held her down against the chair, and he was shaking seeing her in such a weakened state. She had always been strong and stubborn, refusing to let anyone see any weakness, and yet now she could barely wake up and was badly hurt. He sat by her bedside and just held her hand as the doctor talked her through everything they had been doing to help her and what they would need to do to help her get better. He was happy to pay whatever they needed, whatever cost it came to, was happy to use the most up to date medicines and techniques, just to give her a chance to survive the injuries she had sustained. The doctor and nurse would stay over night to make sure that she survived the night. 

Henry had been furious when the two guards who were supposed to be watching his captive appeared at the back go his shop. He knew something had happened when he saw them walk over to him with anxious expressions on their faces; clearing worried about the repercussions of losing her. He listened to them carefully, glaring at the pair as they sheepishly recalled everything that happened, and almost seemed to snarl at the pair as he listened to them. He demanded them to leave his sight quickly, to get out of there before he did something they would all regret. He knew his anger would get the better of him with them there and he would get himself on the wrong side of the wrong people. He had been playing a dangerous game, going against the Templars as they seemed to be gaining strength, and he wasn’t yet ready to leave the safety of the Assassins now that he had started to anger the head of the Templars. He had to be extra careful now that the daughter would most likely remember him for what he did if she survived and he just hoped that she didn’t make it.


	4. Frustrations and a Heartache

Meredith had spent the whole night in bed, unmoving except for breathing, and had the doctor and nurse checking on her every few hours. He refused to leave her side throughout the whole night and just prayed that she would make it through the night. If she could make it through the night she had a better chance of surviving her injuries and the treatments had a higher chance of helping her. The staff had noticed he refused to move, staying beside her past his usual breakfast time, so they brought up both breakfast and lunch to him however they drew the line at bringing him his dinner. They didn’t want to see him spend the rest of his day stuck in the room feeling at fault for everything that had happened to her. He had been sat stewing in his own anger and frustration for the entire day just desperate to see her wake up and they all knew that wasn’t good for him. He couldn’t do any more for her than just sit beside her and pay for treatments while the doctor and nurse took care of her.

He had felt frustrated at seeing her just laying in the bed and being unable to truly help her. He had always been trying to protect her, to avoid this happening, and wished he could go back in time to do it all over again so she didn’t get hurt. He didn’t know if that would stop her from getting hurt, but he wished now he hadn’t let her work with him, let her join the order, let her find out everything, because just maybe he could have stopped this. He had just stayed with her, holding her hand and talking to her trying to encourage her to wake up, and his biggest fear was seeing her never wake up again and losing her. He couldn’t bear with it if he lost her and seeing her just laying there only made his heart break more. The staff knew they had to get him out of that room, to let him think without looking to her, to at least give him time to rest both physically and emotionally. He fought them at first, feeling angry at the staff for making him leave her bedside but the butler, the man he trusted most, held the challenge protecting both the staff and tried to get it through to his master that they were doing what they thought was best for him.

“Master, it is not healthy for you to sit there all day. We are here to care for you as much as the young lady, but you come as a priority to us right now as those who can help her are doing all they can.” The butler spoke firmly but not as a challenge to the master of the house. “We will not stand by and watch you waste away sitting beside here when right now there is little to nothing we can do but allow those trained to care for her as they should do.”

Crawford frowned when he heard the butler’s words, not used to the man being so firm with him, but he took a moment to think about what he was being told. He could see they were going against him for his benefit, but it still frustrated him to have them command him like this. Gave in to their command, just this once, and sat down at the large dining table which seemed empty without his daughter by his side. He took his time with his meal, his mind still wandering and racing, now realising how hungry he was after not having much of an appetite and only eating parts of his meals from earlier in the day. It seemed the stress had worn him out more than he realised, and he asked for more when his plate was clear; making the butler and staff relax a little.

Henry had been just as frustrated as Crawford but for a different reason. He hated that he failed, that a chance had slipped through his fingers, that he had missed out on an opportunity all thanks to the failures of the assassins he trusted. His plan had failed, his chance to take advantage of weakness had been lost because of someone else’s inability to follow simple orders, and he was fuming. He had opened his shop like usual, no need to draw attention to himself yet, but he needed to talk to the fools who had let him down to find out just how the girl had escaped. He hadn’t expected the young lady to get away like she had, more the error on his part now he thought about it, but the assassins that had been guarding her had failed to keep her where she was and that had caused his plan to fail. It was their fault she got away like she had, and he was not going to stand by and let the men who failed him get away unpunished.

He was going to arrange a new plan, he was going to find a better way to attack the Templars at their heart, he was going to find a way inside and at least eliminate the source of his frustration before she woke. If they could get both, then it would save more effort in the future, but he needed to make sure he eliminated the danger to his identity. If she woke and told anyone, then they would be found and dealt with to make sure word didn’t travel, if she stayed unconscious and no one knew then it would be simple as to poison any medications given or inject her directly with a poison. They had been monitoring the grounds, watching for the coming and goings of the staff, and kept on record of when the staff changed occurred and when staffing was at its lowest. He had taken his time to make sure that the information was correct, having multiple different members watching the building, and once confirmed it showed that as the evening drew close the number of staff and activity of staff within the building was at its lowest. This was when he planned for the attack but there had to be more caution taken with this plan as those who managed to get into the building could face with a variety of dangers. He wouldn’t allow the two assassins he had relied on before with this task, why put his plan at a disadvantage where such fools would make it more likely to fail, but now he needed someone much more reliable to investigate the house and carry out the plan he was so desperate to have succeed. The two assassins that had failed him came to his shop, using the back entrance, looking sheepish as they spoke with him and were commanded to find someone more reliable to do the task. They were to find those who were the most reliable, who would be the most likely to accomplish the task, and if they failed this task then they were going to be in even more severe trouble than they were already. He would do it himself, but he couldn’t be caught planning such a dangerous plan as if he was caught he knew he would be hanged or imprisoned and neither of those were options he was eager for.

He knew he had to talk with those who were going to carry out the plan before they acted, to give them the full details and ensure that they would understand the severity of the situation. The two that came to meet him, a few hours before the ‘perfect’ time, at his store and he made sure the pair, two young men, understood just how much this meant to him and to the organisation as he was sure once they realised he was a member of the Assassins then they would find the others. The pair seemed to understand the situation, they knew the danger they would be in if they were found out, yet they were still content to carry out the plan and attempt the dangerous assassination; a riskier assassination compared to the usual. It took two days to gather everything they’d need for the plan and managed to arrange a meeting point on the edge of Westminster. 

 The pair took on the look of staff members, the outfits easy to find and make up, and waited for the time to slip into the building unnoticed. The two agents knew not to fail, knew they had to either kill the girl or to be captured or die trying, and took their chance to infiltrate the large building; managing to slip in through a staff entrance just before the door was closed. They avoided being seen by as many of the staff as possible, implying they were new to those who did spot them, and began to explore the building to look for their target. They took their time to explore the large building, unsure of exactly which room the unconscious woman was being kept in, but when they saw a doctor walking through the halls, they began to follow them along the halls hoping it would lead to the target.

They stayed back, watching for the doctor to come back out the room, before they slipped into the room; carrying trays as if they were bringing cloths for the doctor. They spotted the woman, still unconscious, laying on the bed with the different medical tools on the bedside table and notes on her in a book next to it all. As they came close to the bed, the door to the room opened again and they were caught off guard as Crawford walked into the room. She had yet to wake even though it had been two days and now she was in danger yet again but not by her own fault. He quickly called for staff, pulled out the gun he had holstered at his waist, and aimed his gun as the legs of the attackers. He wouldn’t kill them, not straight away, he needed to know where they came from, but he had to get them away from her before they could hurt her. He saw the blades at their wrists, saw their gazes aimed at his daughter, and quickly pulled the trigger twice. Each bullet hit their intended target, the knees of each man, making them drop to the floor quickly as staff rushed into the room to aid their master.

One of the assassins struggled against the grasp of the staff, desperate to injure the target, but they held tight and gave no room for escape giving the assassin only one way out. He had a pill hidden away inside his mouth and was quick to swallow the poison. It was a last chance escape from the unknown actions that could be used against him. The poison acted fast, seemingly almost the instant it hit his stomach, as he began to choke, his muscles clenching, his body spasmed, his eyes became blood-shot before the poison finally took his life and any information he had with him. His companion merely sat and watched on as the poison took hold and looked between the Templar and his staff fearful of what they would do to him. Guards were called into the room, a carriage called to the house, and both men were taken from the building; the body taken for an autopsy and the other to a prison to be interrogated. He hadn’t been given poison or thought to bring some with him, he had hoped he could escape should he need, and he feared just what could happen to him after where he had been found; knowing the men would be happy to do whatever they pleased to get the information they wanted.

He was dragged through the house, with handcuffs clamped tightly around his wrists, and ragged into the prison carriage; his struggles ignored by the men pulling him through. He was thrown into the carriage with little care and his dead companion was placed on the back in a trunk to transport him without the chance of interference. The surviving assailant was anxious, sitting in the carriage looking for any signs of his companions coming to his aid, before he felt the carriage sharply turn and the sound of something landing above him. He looked up to see some of his comrades on the carriage, felt lucky that they had come when they did, and watched as one of them slipped into the carriage with him but merely sat down in the back with him. The look he was got from those around him sent chills down his spine and he felt that dread rise again at the threat behind those eyes.

Crawford stood there, watching over his daughter worrying about her, fearing what they could have done to her, and took hold of her hand frowning deeply. He hadn’t known how long they had been there, didn’t know if they had managed to hurt her and the staff around him took time to check her over for any signs of tampering; luckily, they got there before they got her. He took hold of her hand as he moved to sit down next to her, just hoping and praying that she would wake soon, that she could get back on her feet again and be the strong little girl he knew and loved. He felt her hand tighten around his and he looked to her in desperate hope as her eyes slowly drifted open and stared around the room confused and a little scared. The last thing she remembered had been the streets and for a moment she wasn’t sure where she was or if she was safe. As soon as she noticed her father, those fearful eyes turning elated, she relaxed and smiled brightly looking to the man sitting beside her.

“Daddy.” Her voice was rough, barely above a whisper, and she winced as she tried to turn to face him better. She was sore, her injuries aching, but she was determined to let her father know just who had trapped her like this. “We have to stop him, we have to get him, I know who trapped me. That shop owner, Henry Green, he…he trapped me.” 

Crawford was furious at hearing who had hurt her, at hearing who captured her, and realised that he must have been the one to make the ransom note. He was not willing to stand by and just let his daughter be abused in such a way, he was not going to let the man get away with hurting his child, and he planned to investigate the shop more thoroughly. They only really needed Meredith’s statement but the more they could find out about him the more likely they could punish him.


	5. Revenge and Punishment

Although Meredith was weak, her determination pulled her through the pain and discomfort she was having while she was healing. Now she was waking regularly, now she had been conscious, the first fears had been calmed and Crawford now seemed to be in a lighter mood. She he managed to soothe some of her father’s fears and if she saw her father fearing or panicking or stressing she would make sure he spoke to her and that they would talk it out to stop him over reacting to everything. The care that she had been getting continued and she had been healing much faster now that she could eat and take in the energy her body needed to heal. She had started to look brighter, the wounds on her body were closing faster than expected, her sleep pattern was starting to return to normal, and she was just doing better all round.

Slowly she began to start walking, getting out of the bed and walking to the library to take up her seat in front of the fireplace. She was frustrating with how long it would take for her to get anywhere, was annoyed at herself for being so weak, but she was determined and slowly began to walk without assistance from the staff or the furniture. At first, they just let her focus on recovery, just left her to heal up before they planned any form of attack, but she was clearly not impressed by being told not to worry about any of it. She hated being left in the dark about anything, but Crawford hadn’t wanted to stress her more with trying to plan ways to get to him. He wanted to be sure that she was healing up and that she wouldn’t make the wounds worse before he asked for her to help. He knew she would have the best information against the man, knew that she had been the one to investigate him, and would only act against him once he knew that she would be well enough to cope with it. If he acted without her, began to take vengeance without her input, he knew he would never hear the end of it from her.

One day, when Meredith was able to walk and even jog a little, Crawford approached her with the idea of taking vengeance on the man that had brutally attacked her. She had been sat in the library, comfortably warmed by the fire, as he brought a folder into the room and placed it on her lap. She looked down at the collection of papers before looking back up at her father in confusion and uncertainty. She hadn’t expected him to give him the file so soon but as she looked through the files that had been dropped onto her lap with all the information she had gathered on the secret assassin. Now they knew that he was part of it, part of the group they were trying to eliminate, they could use what they had on him to try and find out more about those he associated himself with. They had suspicions about his name, about how there were no records of him before a certain time, and had wanted the name investigated to see what more they could find out about him. It had taken a few days, but they had managed to find forms, records from the government, permit forms, name registration forms, business licence forms, all a mixed connection from his old name to his new.

They brought everything together, the information on the small shop, the forms, the records from the doctors on Meredith’s injuries and where she was found by the guards. She took her time to look through all the papers and knew that instead of capturing or killing the man they could use him to get to others in their organisation. Killing him or taking hold of him would be too easy for them and she wanted more than just punishment for the man who had abducted and imprisoned her; even though he only had her for a few hours. They planned to manipulate what they knew, planned to use him to expose others, planned to take apart his shop and ruin his reputation and make it impossible for him to work alone.

The first steps of the plan were being more thorough with his imports, making it harder for him to bring them into the shop, began to spread whispers and rumours, based in truth, about the man they had been investigating, and watched as the store began to lose business. Slowly as she healed, she became well enough to attend events, to go to the parties, the opening ceremonies, the galleries, but it was still obvious that she was still healing. She would struggle to raise her arm too high, would wince if she turned to fast, would sometimes spend long stretches of time sitting down just to rest her aching body, but she had been doing much better and was glad to get out of the house to be able to see those she had built a rapport with. She was glad to be able to see them all again, after a month of recovering, and it seemed to bring her friend relief seeing her doing much better. At these events, both Crawford and Meredith spoke to everyone they could and encouraged them to spread what they were saying, to ruin the reputation he was building, the take down the small shop he had been building.

It seemed that the effort the pair were making seemed to be having an affect on the business. Henry had noticed that there seemed to be less footfall within the shop, had realised that it was getting harder for him to bring stock in and knew who was causing it, had grown frustrated and angry as he watched his shop begin to struggle. He would receive a few customers, one or two who may browse and buy small items, but it wasn’t enough to keep his dream going and he knew it. He was frustrated with how the Grand Master and his foolish daughter had been able to take away the one thing he had worked hard for since coming to London. At first the shop had just been something to keep himself busy, a place to store special items for the Assassins, but slowly it had become something much more important to him and had become something special to him. The Assassins order hadn’t cared if the shop did well, only needing it as a cover and somewhere to hide, but when Henry had taken over the care of it he couldn’t help gaining a deeper attachment to his little corner of paradise.

Now that the store was beginning to fail he was wanting revenge against the pair. He was now more determined to take out the Grand Master and his little one. He made sure to plan more attacks on the pair, to try and find times when the pair were out of their home, aimed more for when they were separated or when they were out in the open. It seemed that every time the pair managed to catch the attacks just before they occurred, manged to eliminate the threat, or had guards keep watch for anyone suspicious in the area. Each attack was stopped, each challenge against them was quickly taken down, and that only made the assassin much more frustrated seeing each attempt fail. The Order of Assassins had wanted to eliminate the pair for them making their imports more difficult, wanted to punish them for trying to interfere with their plans, were furious with the extra interference they were getting but it seemed any actions they tried to take failed only adding to the frustrations.

All the failed attempts to attack, the efforts from the order that were trying to eliminate them, now only made her feel more confident in her actions against them. Seeing them fail again and again had made her feel much more confident in herself, had given her courage to stand up for herself more against them even with her injuries. Although many were well trained, she had been getting better at spotting those who were suspicious and who might have been a danger to both her father and herself. Seeing the actions taken against them, the increased attacks, the increased challenges, made her ready to act more obviously and thought to take her father to the shop so they could face the man who had captured her. She knew it was still open, although struggling, and now she finally reached her limit in tolerating him. He had been causing enough trouble, had tried to attack them too often, had pushed her to her limit and he was going to be punished for his actions. She remembered how she had gotten there, remembered the alley and the name of the street the shop was on, and called for a carriage to take them there. She hadn’t wanted her father to know where they were going immediately, not wanting him to get himself all irritated before they even got there, but when he saw them coming close he couldn’t help clenching his leather clad fists.

“Why bring me here, Mer? Why are we coming here? You know what this man has done, and you expect me to come here without any issues?” His voice was already starting to show irritation.

“Well, I think he’s done enough damage, had enough chances to leave us be and yet he’s chosen to keep attacking, we have kept our distance from him and just taken control of any suspicious imports, yet he chose to keep targeting us.” She looked out the window watching as the carriage stopped outside the shop. “Now he’s going to be punished for continuing to pursue us and he’s going to regret ever crossing us.”

She smirked dangerously and slowly climbed out the carriage once the door was open. She was eager to quash his actions, to eliminate the challenges, and now they were going to remove the last chance they had to protect the local assassins. Had he left them alone, had he not tried to kill them, he would have been allowed to keep the small shop and they would have just watched to find out those who were other potential assassins. They would have allowed him to allow him to run his small shop, would have let him continue whatever it was he did, but he had wasted that opportunity on revenge. The pair barely took one step into the shop before they were approached by the threat clearly angry.

“Hello again, Mr Green, you going to attack me and abduct me again? Are you going to challenge us again? Are you done sending minions to attack us?” Meredith challenged standing proud only making Henry more frustrated.

“I see you’re finally showing your true colours. You should keep a closer eye on your daughter if you truly wish to keep her safe seeing as it was her foolish actions that had her captured in the first place.” Henry challenged back but his eyes jumped quickly between the two of them suspicious of what they had planned.

“You seem to forget that my foolish actions are the ones who exposed everything to us, it was my actions that brought out that dark little seed in your mind to the surface, and let us know just who you really are.” She wasn’t ready to back down and Crawford had to put his arm between them to stop her going too close. “You seemed to think less of me, you underestimated me just because of who I am, and you’re paying the price for it. You’ve been foolish enough to attack us again and again and again and we’ve had enough of it.”

“You were a fool for sending those others after us because, you see, they are proven to be connected to you now. You’ve only caused more problems for both you and those you sent after us. Now you have an ultimatum you will have to think about right here, right now, and we think it’s justified considering everything you’ve done.” Crawford took charge of the confrontation knowing he was the one who could control and make the offer. “We had thought at first you could keep this little place, it did no harm to us really, but now we’re tired of you trying to attack us. You can either close the shop down and avoid a prison sentence, or you can continue to run this little pit and find yourself in our little corner of hell.”

Henry was stunned by the offer, was shocked that they had been willing to confront him in person, flustered that he was on the weaker end of this bargain, and he hated being on the losing end. He had always thought he knew them better than they thought but they had caught him off-guard. The choice wasn’t really one and Henry knew exactly which one he would take but it was only adding to the frustrations already building. The repeated failures, the lost advantages, the problems that had arisen just because of the foolish girl who had slipped into his shop. He watched the way her smile darkened, watch the pure joy that seemed to come from his struggle, and he felt the rage boil in his blood. He had been backed into a corner, his options so limited there was no way he could spin this to his advantage, and he had to back down to them. He agreed to close to shop, to abandon the one thing he had managed to make his own, to give up what he had worked hard for, just to give him a chance to get his revenge against them. He wanted them out of his shop, to take advantage of the last few days he had within his shop without them shadowing him, and they agreed to give him one more week with the shop to allow him to deal with whatever he needed to when closing the shop and they left him in peace. They were glad to see that the shop was empty, was dark, was clearly closed down, once that week was over and knew that he could still be a threat to them but they knew there was one less place where the Assassins could root down and they knew what they were


End file.
